Posted on by Angela

First Reading Choices 2026

Sometimes we make choices without really thinking about them. Other times we agonize over a choice or decision, wanting to be sure to make the best one. I wanted to do that with my reading list for the year. So many books and so little time. Yet, almost without realizing it, I made my choices. Some of them I started last year and carried over to finish.  

I wonder if anyone else is like me. I figure probably not. Most people probably just pick up a book and start reading. Oh no. I have to make a production out of it in my head. I mean I can’t just grab a book. What if I grab the wrong one? Then the whole year is off on the wrong foot, and the tone is set. It must be just right, see. The right book can set the tone for the whole year of reading. Anyone with me? No? I was afraid of that.  

Of course, your reading plan can go off the rail at any time. Last year I started with Killing the Witches by Bill O’Reilly. I usually like this series and looked forward to reading this book. I was disappointed. As I was by The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. That ending, really?  Big disappointment there. I was also disappointed by The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden. So much so, I didn’t even finish it. My year was redeemed with other books such as Little Buried Secrets by Cheryl Bradshaw, Soulbound by Bethany Adams, When Birds Fall Silent by Shana Frost, Raven Black by Ann Cleeves and the four books I read by Brandon Sanderson. I’m not going into a review of each of the books, but I enjoyed them and would read another by each of the authors.  

My beginning list contains authors I have never read or heard of before, except for one, I have heard of Robert Whitlow but am not sure I have read any of his books, so it will be fun to read his newest, Witness Protection.   

So, here are my first five selections for the 2026 reading year. 

Death on the Doorstep by Mary Lancaster 

Codex Arcanum 1888 by Tasmin Turner 

Witness Protection by Robert Whitlow 

Super Moon Protocol by J.T. Fluhart 

Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness 

Of course I have already finished Death on the Doorstep, by Mary Lancaster and you can find my review here on All for One. Not on the list is the third Mistborn book by Brandon Sanderson, Hero of the Ages. I started it last year and need to finish.  I usually read a couple of chapters in bed before I turn out the light, which is why it has taken me so long to finish. I am currently reading Codex Arcanum 1888 by Tasmin Turner and Super Moon Protocol by J.T. Fluhart. I am enjoying both books although they are very different in tone and structure and language. I am enjoying one more than the other but more on that later. I will give my review on both when I have finished them.  

How do you select your books? Do you line them out for the year? Or do you wait and see what comes out and go from there? Maybe a mix of the two?  

What makes the grade? Are there any topics or genres that are off limits? What sections do you pass right over in the bookstore?  

I hope all of us say that the one book above all others that is on the list without question is our Bible. May you be blessed as you read the Word of God this year. If you need ideas where to start, there are abundant options online to choose to get you started. The Bible app always has some good reading plans. If you are new to Bible reading, then I hope is the year you start.  

Let me know your choices. I look forward to hearing from you. 

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Third Verse Devotion: Abide with Me

In John 15, Jesus admonishes His followers to abide in Him. In all things, we as his followers are to spend our lives abiding in Him. It is through this abiding that we find our strength and rest.  

The writer of our hymn “Abide With Me” takes a slightly different angle. Here the writer implores our Heavenly Father to abide with us. Or specifically, to abide with me. The Father has promised never to leave us or forsake us. So, why would we need to implore the Father to abide with us?  

The hymn contains four or five verses depending on which hymnal you are using. I will focus on verse three. The entire hymn speaks about the close of life.  Each of the verses contains a finality of life that would make it appropriate for the end of life. Verse three gives us four instances in our lives when we need to be reminded that we need our Father to abide with us.  

I need Thy presence ev’ry passing hour; 
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r? 
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be? 
Thro’ cloud and sunshine, O abide with me! 
 

EVERY PASSING HOUR 

The writer stipulated that we need God’s presence every passing hour. Indeed, this is a true word. How many times have we tried to handle a situation on our own only to realize that it didn’t work out so well? Then we do what we should have done in the first place. We ask God to guide us through the problem and fill us with His presence. We truly need His presence every passing hour. Often, every passing minute, but I get the author’s point here. The line takes us back to John 15:5  

I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (NASB) (emphasis mine) 

We need His presence every hour because without Him we “can do nothing.” It doesn’t work. It is flat and lifeless and without color. But, when we rely on Him, the colors come alive and we can accomplish things we only dreamed of and more. We need His presence every passing hour.  

GRACE CAN FOIL THE TEMPTER’S POW’R 

If not for God’s grace, we would not be able to withstand the tempter. His grace gives us the strength we need to endure the temptation.  1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that in temptation there is a way out:  

No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (NASB) 

Do you see where God’s grace lies? He provides a way of escape. Temptation comes to all of us.  Our temptations may be different for each of us, meaning what tempts you may not trouble me and what tempts me may not trouble you. The common denominator is that we are all tempted. We don’t have to give in to the temptation. When we give in to temptation, it is by choice. His grace foils the tempter’s power. We have a way out, by God’s grace as we abide in Him and He abides with us.  

MY GUIDE AND STAY 

He is our guide and stay. He leads us through dark places and light. He is with us when it feels like we are going nowhere. He is the one who tells us, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21 NASB) He also tells us, “Stop striving and know that I am God…” (Psalm46:10 NASB) We need to spend time in His word and in prayer so when He prompts us to move or to stay, we will understand. Remember John 15:5? We can do nothing apart from Him. Learning to let Him be our guide and stay is not easy, I will admit, but it is essential to abiding with Him and Him abiding with us. And I daresay it is a lifetime process. There is no one better able to lead us than our God and Savior. There is no one better able to stay with us in the dark times than Himself. Are you striving? Are you allowing Him to be your guide and stay? It isn’t too late to begin. Why not start now? 

THROUGH CLOUD AND SUNSHINE 

We tend to notice we need God more when it is cloudy, don’t we? The overcast skies get to us after a while, and we can’t seem to break free from the dreariness. But when the sun comes out suddenly, we are on top of the world and we put our hand up and say to God, “I got this.” Take a big step forward and… fall flat on our face. It is then that we realize we need Him in the clouds and the sunshine. The cloudy days and darkness may physically affect our mood, creating depression. We don’t think of it so much when the sun shines bright. Yet we need our Heavenly Father just as much in sunny days as in the cloudy. The writer of this hymn was wise to include the phrase “through cloud and sunshine.” It wasn’t a literary tactic because he needed his song to rhyme or needed to complete the meter.  I know we have all had days and seasons when the sun was shining but there seemed to be a dark cloud following us wherever we went. Anything we tried turned into dust. New ventures failed. Relationships soured. We felt we were a failure and our self-worth plummeted. It is in these dark days that we know we need God to be with us. The more we abide in Him, the more we know He is with us.  

WHERE ARE YOU? 

When Adam and Eve fell in the garden, they hid themselves from the Lord. It was, of course, a vain attempt. They knew the fellowship had been damaged by what they had done. So, when the Lord came in the cool of the day to walk with them as He always did, they hid. They failed to abide in what they knew of their Creator and believed the lies of the tempter. Since that day, we have all done much the same. We bear the curse of their actions. In fact, had we been in their place, I imagine the outcome would have been the same.  

But now there is hope. Jesus paid the price for what began in the garden when he gave His life on the cross for you and me and everyone who ever lived or ever will live. Now we have the hope of abiding in Him.  

So, where are you? Are you caught in the grip of the tempter’s power? Are you abiding in Him? Is He your guide and stay? Have you learned to lean on Him in cloud and sunshine? Do you understand that you need Him every hour?  

This hymn has so much truth to offer, so much hope. This one verse has given us so much to think about. Take some time today to meditate on the scriptures I have given us here and visit www.hymnary.org to hear and read Abide with Me. Let it be the beginning of something wondrous. 

All for One 

Angela 

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Death on the Doorstep – book review

I read this book as a free download from NetGalley in exchange for a written review. 

Constance Gray and Solomon Silver have just returned home from their Italian honeymoon and almost immediately are confronted with death literally on their doorstep. Two men are found dead on the back door of Constance’s “establishment.” The two men seem to have nothing in common as one is a vagrant who makes his home on the streets and the other is a wealthy man with a good reputation. It takes unraveling plots and clues to sort truth and ill intent in this seventh book in this series by Mary Lancaster. The book contains references to drug use, alcohol, prostitution, and suicide, so the reader should be aware if these are personal triggers.  

I downloaded this book not realizing I was jumping into a well-established series with well-developed characters.  Fortunately, Death on the Doorstep is a wonderful standalone book and the author does a good job of making the reader aware of past events without making them feel as though they have missed much.  

The author weaves this tale with blackmail, threats, secrets, and old relationships resurfacing. The book is about 200 pages long and makes for a good weekend read. I appreciated the fact that there is no foul language and no explicit sex. Bedroom scenes are left in the bedroom. Although the reader should be aware that Constance is the owner of a brothel. She runs her “establishment”, as she calls it, as an opportunity for young women to leave the streets behind and learn a trade and find employable work. If they choose to remain in the oldest profession, they can do so safely, without fear of abuse or exploitation.  

Constance and her husband, Solomon, have established an investigation service and it is through this agency that they investigate the deaths found on the doorstep. 

I enjoyed Death on the Doorstep book and would read another book in this series or other books by this author. I give Death on the Doorstep book 4 out of 5 stars because of the references previously mentioned. I would recommend it to anyone over the age of eighteen.  

All for One 

Angela 

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Reading Goals – More Than Just Books on a List

Welcome to 2026! I hope the new year has already been a blessing to you. Let’s talk reading. My first year of All for One didn’t show much in books or reading. When I set out to write a blog, I had originally planned a book blog. What I wrote was something very different. Yet still I love books and reading. So, this year I want to add more book reviews to All for One as well as the content you are used to seeing. I have been on a more consistent reading basis since 2021. Each year I set my goal just a little higher. Sometimes I make it and sometimes I don’t.  

I didn’t meet my goal in 2025. I got hung up on Brandon Sanderson’s cosmere and because of the length, two of his Stormlight books should have counted as two normal books, but here I am keeping my low count again this year. 

I deliberately keep my book count goal low.  So, my count this year is 35.  I started at twelve and feel pretty good about my count of 35. I made it to 22 last year. I know there may be some of you who have busier lives than me, and you are reading into the hundreds, and I am super proud of you. Maybe one day I will reach that level. Each reader must read what they are able and what their life will allow. I got five books read in January and thought yesss this is going to be an awesome year. Then I learned that reading is more than books on a list. Reading is also about a connection. This happened when my son introduced me to Sanderson.  

There is a story here. He was never much of a reader. So, when he came to me and said, “you have to read this”, I dove in. Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn books and Stormlight books had been on my reading list for a while. So, when he got into them and wanted me to read them, it seemed like a good time. I don’t regret reading them and if you are looking for something to add to your own list, I would recommend his books but be prepared for a commitment where Stormlight is concerned.  I ended up reading Way of Kings and Words of Radiance from the Stormlight series and the first two Mistborn books. I am still working on the third one.  

While reading is a solo endeavor, it doesn’t have to be isolated. Books profit by being shared. This is why book clubs are so important and popular. My son and I have had countless conversations over Sanderson’s books this year. I don’t regret that my book goal was not reached. I was introduced to a new author and my son and I built a new connection – over books. That is the power of reading and books. So, I will gladly keep a low reading goal if I can have that kind of result with my family or another person.  

Has a book helped you make a connection with someone? What was it? Was it one you liked or hated? Was it a series or a stand alone?  

What does your reading life look like? Do you enjoy reading? Do you have a reading book goal for 2026?  

Oh, and while you are adding books to your reading list for this year, don’t forget to add the best-selling book of all-time – the Bible. Make sure to read it each day.  

Share your thoughts with me in the comments. I would love to hear from you.  

All for One 

Angela

Posted on by Angela

Love Like Jesus

As Christians, it is sometimes hard to like people much less love them. Yet that is exactly what we are called to do. We are given a blueprint for love in 1 John 4: 18-20.  

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (NASB) 

Did you see the key? The only way we can love others is to remember that He loved us first. His love in us enables us to love others. It is a love like Jesus had. Let’s think about how Jesus loved. 

Jesus loved those who misunderstood him 

Jesus loved people from all walks of life. He associated with the upper class and the lower class. He made time for seekers and outcasts. In doing so, He was often misunderstood. He made his home among everyone and accepted everyone. Yet He was not accepted by everyone. The religious leaders called Him a blasphemer. And a devil. He kept time with sinners so he must be a sinner.  

Have you ever been misunderstood because of your words or actions? Who is it that has misunderstood you? Did they misunderstand your words or actions? People may not always understand what God calls you to do. And that is ok. God doesn’t need their permission or yours for that matter. He calls you to follow him and to obey him. When you know for certain God has called you, follow him.  

Jesus loved those who hated him 

Jesus loved those who hated him. They mostly began with those who misunderstood him, and that misunderstanding deepened into hate. They seemed to follow him everywhere. In every town Jesus went to, they were there. Scribes, Pharisees, religious leaders just waiting to find fault, waiting to trip him up. Jesus still loved them. He still gave his life for them.  

Have you ever been in a situation where you knew someone hated you, and you found you could love them anyway? Have you done some wrong that you can make right? Or had they just taken a dislike to you? If you can make it right, then the ball is in your corner, so to speak. If not, then all you can do is love them anyway.  

Jesus loved those who betrayed him 

Jesus had been betrayed by those closest to him. We know about Judas. Judas sold him out for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was not what he expected. Maybe he thought his betrayal could force Jesus’s hand. Instead, it led to the cross, which was not what he had in mind. Yet Jesus loved Judas anyway. Jesus knew what Judas was. Still, he called him to be his disciple. When Judas led the officials to the Mount of Olives, Jesus called him “friend.” Still, Jesus loved him.  

Judas wasn’t the only one who betrayed Jesus. If you think about it, Peter also betrayed Jesus. No, he didn’t sell him out for money. He didn’t hand him over to the religious leaders of the day. But he betrayed him just the same. He denied that he even knew Him. Not once, but three times. The difference between Judas and Peter? Peter immediately was sorrowful and showed repentance. Judas was sorrowful, but his sorrow did not lead to repentance.    

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? What was your reaction? Vengeance? Anger? Separation? Or was it forgiveness and reconciliation?  

 How have you betrayed Jesus? Have you kept quiet when you should have spoken? Did you go down a different aisle in the grocery rather than run into someone you rather not? In all truth, we are all guilty of betraying Jesus in some way. Yet, still, He loves us. He stands ready to forgive and restore us. Should we do any less for one who betrays us? 

As we conclude the holiday season this year, let’s focus on our love for others. We can love because He first loved us. Maybe we need to enter the New Year with the goal of practicing love for other people. Maybe we need to start with those who misunderstand us, hate us and betray us. Maybe we just need to start by showing love to someone today.  

I am glad you have been with All for One through my first few months.  They have been a learning experience for me, and I still have a lot to learn. I look forward to sharing next year with you as we continue to give our All for One. 

Angela 

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Third Verse Devotion: Joy to the World

Joy to the World is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Yet it isn’t really about the birth of the baby in the manger. Advent points in celebration to the birth of the Messiah but also to the promise of the second coming of Jesus. We celebrate both comings of Jesus during this season. The first in celebration and the second in hopeful anticipation. This is what makes Joy to the World appropriate for the Christmas season.  

No more let sins and sorrows grow, 
Nor thorns infest the ground; 
He comes to make his blessings flow 
Far as the curse is found. 
 

Our focus is on the third verse and specifically on the curse brought on by Adam and Eve in the Garden. We go to the beginning of Creation to celebrate the end of all things. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He created a wonderful garden and placed man and woman there and gave them the job to tend the garden. When we come to chapter three of Genesis, the serpent shows up and tempts Eve. Eve falls for the temptation and Adam with her. Judgment soon follows, and all receive punishment. To Adam, God tells him this in chapter 3: 17-19 

Cursed is the ground because of you; 
With hard labor you shall eat from it 
All the days of your life. 
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; 
Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; 
By the sweat of your face 
You shall eat bread, 
Until you return to the ground, 
Because from it you were taken; 
For you are dust, 
And to dust you shall return. 

Since that time, man has lived in sin and condemned to death. Isaac Watts, the writer of Joy to the World, reflected this in the third verse of our carol today.  Watts based his song on Psalm 98, the last verse of that psalm points to the coming Judge who will “judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with fairness.” (v9)  

Where are you this Christmas? Are you still gazing at the baby in the manger? Do you see the blood stained man on the cross who died for you? Are your eyes fixed on the return of that man who rose from the dead and is coming again?  

This Christmas season, let us sing joyfully this song of the Savior’s coming. The first and the second. Let us look back at the Child in the manger in awe and wonder that the God of all creation would humble himself to live among us as one of us to take our place on a cross for our sins. Let us also look ahead to the second coming of the Christ, no longer a child, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords coming to rule and judge in power and glory. We have much to celebrate this Christmas. Whatever our circumstances are this year, we can joyfully look ahead with peace and hope because he is coming again. Let us put our trust in Him and sing Joy to the World the Lord is Come. 

All for One 

Angela 

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Third Verse Devotion: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Immanuel, 
and ransom captive Israel 
that mourns in lonely exile here 
until the Son of God appear. 

The people of Israel seemed to stay in captivity. First in Egypt, then in Babylon. In modern times, they have been scattered around the globe. Now they have a country, though unsettled and divided. Yet they are in the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob millennia ago. They know what it means to mourn in exile. At the same time, they know what it means to hope. Through all of Israel’s captivity and exile, they remained full of hope. They believed in the promise God gave Abraham that they would be settled in the land God gave to them.  

What many of them do not understand or yet realize is that the Son of God has appeared. Immanuel has come to ransom captive Israel. Israel is still captive in many ways. They may be moving back in the land God promised them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they fail to recognize their Messiah.  

Isaiah 7:14 tells us, 

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. 

I imagine only those close to Mary and her family knew of the scandal surrounding her and Joseph. They knew she was discovered pregnant before they were married. They knew the disgrace that was on them all. What they didn’t know, despite what Mary might have told them, was that Mary was chosen for a special purpose that no other woman could have matched. Of all the young women in Israel at that time, God chose Mary. This Child was prophesied about more than any other in history. Isaiah 9: 6 tells us, 

For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; 
And the government will rest on His shoulders; 
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 

And still Israel missed it.  

I don’t know what you are going through right now. As we journey through this advent season, you may find yourself in your own form of captivity. Maybe you are trying to break free, but you just can’t. Let me encourage you to seek Immanuel. Seek the Prince of Peace. He came to deliver you. He came to ransom you. Whatever entangles you today, you can find release through Him. I will not tell you that everything will be instantly better. That would be a lie. We still must walk through the muck and mire of life. And sometimes captivity is our own doing. Israel had been warned time and again to turn back to their God and they would not. So, they endured captivity at the hands of the Babylonians. For seventy years. But God promised them restoration. There is a limit. God will bring you through it. But He wants your attention. He wants you. Are you mourning in lonely exile? Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you as well.  

All for One  

Angela 

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Hope – The First Week of Christmas

Hope. The first candle of advent represents hope. It points us to the birth of Jesus and his promised return. He was the longing of Israel, their Messiah. He lived as a man and died for our sins, for our redemption. He promised to come again. There are many verses in the Old Testament referencing Jesus’s first advent. There are even more concerning his second advent, his return. So, we light this royal purple candle with hope in his second coming.  

Hope is not to be confused with faith. It seems many try to use the words interchangeably. While they are closely related, they are not the same. Faith is present. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: 

Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. 

Faith is the here and now belief of the future. The future is the area of hope. Hope is not wishful thinking. “I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend.” “I hope we have a white Christmas.” Hope is the certainty that what we have put our faith in will come to pass. The writer of Hebrews expresses it this way, 

Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering,  

for He who promised is faithful; 

Hebrews 10:23 

We can proclaim our hope in the promises of Christ and the Bible because we have faith that what he says is true. He does not lie. When he promises salvation to those who call on his name, we can take him at his word and hope in his salvation. Our faith presently is in Him. Our hope is in Him that when we pass from this life, he will take us to be with him.  

So, as the first candle is lit this week, what are you hoping for? What are you expecting? Is your faith in the One who makes your hope certain? Are you treating hope as wishful thinking? Take time this advent season to refocus on the One who makes our hope secure. He came once and promised to come again. Light a candle and hope.  

All for One  

Angela 

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Third Verse Devotion: Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us

 Thou hast promised to receive us, 
Poor and sinful though we be; 
Thou hast mercy to relieve us, 
Grace to cleanse, and pow’r to free: 
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, 
Early let us turn to Thee; 
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, 
Early let us turn to Thee 

 hymnary.org 

My husband and I moved to North Carolina for a while following college. I had never driven in big cities. I had a little experience with Shreveport, Louisianna, but that was it. On our way to North Carolina, I had managed somehow to drive through Atlanta, Georgia, but that’s another story for another time. After we arrived, we needed to return our U-haul to Raleigh. So, he drives the truck, and I drive our car. We get separated at a traffic light. I am driving around an unfamiliar town trying to find a U-haul truck. End of story, we are re-united by God’s grace, and everything is fine. The point is that one wrong turn, one traffic direction was all it took for us to become separated.  

How easy it is in our lives for us to become separated from our loving God because of one wrong turn. One wrong step. One bad choice. This is why this third stanza of this hymn is so beautiful. He has promised to receive us even though we are poor and sinful. Even though we have made a mess of our lives, he will still embrace the one sheep who wanders away.  Isaiah 53:6 says 

All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him. 

I don’t know what you are going through today or where you have been. I just know that he stands ready to bring you back into the fold. He is ready to receive you and wash you clean. Don’t wait until you think you can clean yourself up; it never works. We can’t clean ourselves enough. If you made that wrong turn and lost your way, the shepherd is searching for you. Just stop. Stop running from him. Run to the shepherd who loves you and gave himself for you. He has grace to cleanse and power to free.  

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

3 Ways to begin the Holidays with Psalm 118:1

We are officially in the holiday season. Maybe not the holiday spirit but the season. I love this time of year from September through December. The temperatures start to cool, and the leaves start to turn, and a renewal takes place within me. Maybe it has something to do with my birth having taken place in November. I think each of us has a time for renewal. This thinking about renewal and cooler temperatures and the like brought me to the first real holiday of the season.

My thoughts turned to Thanksgiving. It is an American holiday and kicks off the Christmas rush.   While the Thanksgiving holiday is unique to America; thanksgiving is not. As we enter the holidays, I want to look at ways we can enter the end of the year with a spirit of thankfulness. There are three ways we can approach the holidays with thankfulness based on Psalm 118: 1

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His Mercy is everlasting.

The first of these is simply “give thanks to the Lord.” The world today has so many distracting views. I want to be clear that our worship and thanks are to the Lord Creator of Heaven and Earth. There is no other. He is the God who created the Garden of Eden, who made man in His image, who made them male and female, who told Noah to build the Ark, who called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and changed his name to Abraham. He is the God who promised to build Abraham into a great nation, who called a man Moses to lead his people out of Egypt with signs and wonders.  He is God and He alone is God. He sent his only Son to be born of a virgin to live among men as a man to die on a cross for our sins and rise from the grave three days later that we might have eternal life. We have much to give thanks for if this is all we have. Yet it is not.

Look into your life and the life of your family to see where you are and where he brought you from. Life is not perfect. There are trials and hard times. You may be in a trial or hard place now. Give thanks to the Lord. Yes, even in the middle of that trial. It will not make the trial or hardship disappear but might make it easier to bear. Maybe it is time to surrender yourself to the Lord. Maybe he has been calling you and you have been resistant. Now is the time to surrender to Him. He is good. Give thanks to the Lord.

The second part we can meditate on this holiday season is: “For he is good.”  Last week in “He Leadeth Me” I referenced Paul and how he learned contentment. We may not always have the best of everything. Our clothes may not have designer tags; we don’t dine in 5-star restaurants or live in a mansion. Yet most of us have food to eat, clothes to wear and some sort of roof over our heads. We can say he is good. We have breath in our lungs. We can see where he has brought us from and where we are now, and we know he is good. We can see the times he has spared our lives. We know the times he kept us from danger. We are aware of the ways he has led us. We know he has called us from darkness to light. We know he is good. His deeds proclaim his goodness. His acts throughout history declare that he is a good God. He does not treat us as our sins deserve.

Consider the planet. It spins at just the correct speed to keep us alive and flourishing. Any faster or slower and we would be dead. The earth and moon are in gravity pull. The moon’s pull affects the tide of the ocean. God holds all these things in balance and reveals his goodness.

Our body is another example of his goodness. Our body is an amazing organism. We have a responsibility to take care of the body we have. This means trying to eat right and getting some exercise. We need to take a hard look at the things we put into our bodies. We give thanks to the Lord by the way we treat what He has given us; this includes our body. When we put good food and water in our bodies, we are nourished and healthy.  We could not exist without God who created us in His image and gave us our body and life and food to sustain us and keep us healthy. He is good indeed. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

The last of the three for us to meditate on as we enter the holidays is to remember that his mercy is everlasting. Praise be to the Lord that his mercy is everlasting. Were it not for his mercy, we would be consumed in our guilt. Because of his mercy, he does not treat us as our sins deserve. He has redeemed us and given us a hope and a future. He is patient with us, not wanting us to perish. He has delayed the return of Jesus these 2000 years to give us a chance to know him as God and to accept him as Savior. He is merciful when we do not deserve mercy.  And his mercy is not just for today or tomorrow or for those who lived in the past. His mercy is everlasting. His mercy is forever. It is eternal. This thought gives us reason to rejoice and abound with thankfulness.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy is everlasting,

As we get further into the holiday season and the busyness grows, may we take a few moments here at the beginning to remember and reflect on these three ways to be thankful this year. After all, the reason we even have Thanksgiving and Christmas is because of Him. It is more than Pilgrims and Indians; it is more than turkey and all the trimmings. It is about him and his goodness, and his mercy. Let’s be sure to celebrate our Savior this season. When we do, we will find many reasons to…

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His Mercy is everlasting.

Angela

I would love to hear from you. Be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you are thankful for this season. Also be sure to like and subscribe so you won’t miss new content when it drops.